A brand-new 150-bed North Shore Hospital building that has been empty for months is set to partially open, but effectively no extra patients will get surgery as a result. 

That is because theatres in other parts of the hospital have to close so it can be staffed. 

The Tōtara Haumaru building is a similar size to Southland Hospital, and has a capacity for 15,000 procedures a year. 

It was meant to help slash waiting lists in the Auckland region. However, the ghost hospital building has been sitting vacant but ready since April. 

A hospital email seen by RNZ says the building would start being used in stages from July 1. 

Senior hospital sources said for that to happen, other theatres and a ward would need to stop working, that it was effectively a “lift and shift” of resources from one building to the other. 

The result was no extra patients would be treated. 

Some staff were frustrated, while others were furious. 

One said it was disgraceful that the beautiful, 12-theatre building had been sitting empty for months when patients could be getting moved off waiting lists and moving on with their lives. 

The hospital sources believed there was still no operating budget to staff and run the hospital — and that was why other theatres, including in the modern Elective Surgery Centre, had to be closed so surgery in the new building could go ahead. 

One said they did not understand how money had not been set aside when the building was years in the making, while people languished in pain on growing waiting lists. 

The email seen by RNZ says two theatres and two wards would open from the start of July, with more gradually opening until Tōtara Haumaru was fully up and running, by mid-August. 

In April, when the building did not open as scheduled, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ said there was not yet an operating budget or staff to run it. 

Its head of hospital and specialist services, Fionnagh Dougan, said it was also because the organisation had not wanted to schedule surgery there that could be done elsewhere in case the building did not get finished on time and patients missed out. 

When the building failed to open at the start of April despite being fully signed off and kitted out, Health Minister Shane Reti said it would probably open in June. 

Since then, secrecy has surrounded it. 

RNZ asked in April — and again this month and yesterday — what the projected staffing was, whether any were being recruited, whether there was an operational budget, and more details about the staged opening, but had been told nothing by Te Whatu Ora. 

Northern region director of hospital and specialist services Mark Shepherd said more information would be available at an official opening of the building this month. 

Staff spoken to this week said they initially realised an opening was imminent only when they saw surgical equipment being moved between buildings. 

They had since been told. 

The building has eight full surgery theatres, and four more procedure rooms for endoscopies such as colonoscopies. 

It has a huge, lit atrium, with a healing garden inside — a planted area designed to enhance wellbeing — funded by a charity. 

-Rowan Quinn, RNZ